When he was playing in Madrid i really thought he was overrated since he scored a lot of "easy goals" and was "carried by his team". I remember him as a poacher who "somehow stumbled into the ball and scored skill-less goals". Now that i understand football better i can appreciate a him better, but still, he's a tier below the elites of his generation like Henry, Ronaldo, and Eto'o

@zizzle wrote:When he was playing in Madrid i really thought he was overrated since he scored a lot of "easy goals" and was "carried by his team". I remember him as a poacher who "somehow stumbled into the ball and scored skill-less goals". Now that i understand football better i can appreciate a him better, but still, he's a tier below the elites of his generation like Henry, Ronaldo, and Eto'o

@titosantill wrote:he had to chose someone that he felt won't mind sitting on the bench. remember he also took guiza who was top scorer that year. raul was on the bench in the 06 world cup, and based on the season he had prior probably shouldn't have gone. my guess is the issues between him and aragonez started from there. a player like raul might not have taken sitting on the bench the way garcia did. its best he didn't get called up than for aragonez to hurt his pride by having him as fourth choice. unlucky for him, spain during his dominant years weren't so good (they had a shaky midfield),and some other teams were much stronger

No, not quite, The problems began early in the qualifying games for that Euro. Team started off poorly and Aragonez felt he had to change complacency in dressing room. Salgado and Raul were viewed as the problem. It worked and Raul was never called up after that. By the time, Euro did come about, Raul was actually playing well, but that team that qualified was much better without him. I was upset as I don't accept that Raul was ever complacent about anything and the fact that Aragonez selected Sergio and Guiza before him was disgusting. Raul by that point would have accepted being a bench player. But team won so we really can't complain. Raul's best years were behind him and same with him leaving Madrid. he still had several good years of futbol left in him, but his level had dropped to be able to continue at Madrid. It doesn't change his legend status, just another aging player that their game declines before they are ready to hang them up.

@zizzle wrote:When he was playing in Madrid i really thought he was overrated since he scored a lot of "easy goals" and was "carried by his team". I remember him as a poacher who "somehow stumbled into the ball and scored skill-less goals". Now that i understand football better i can appreciate a him better, but still, he's a tier below the elites of his generation like Henry, Ronaldo, and Eto'o

Eto'o is not in the same breathe with Raul, let alone Ronaldo.

3 times CL winner: CheckBig game player: CheckConsistent top scorer: CheckMakes his team play better: CheckHard worker: CheckNation team achievements: Check

Now i know that Madrid fans hate Eto'o and he gave them a lot of good reasons to, but for the sake of being objective, how is he not on Rauls level to say the least?

I remember Raúl for being not only a great player, but also a wonderful character. When Schalke won the DFB-Pokal, and all players went to the fans, Manuel Neuer (who was then Schalke's captain, but his move to Bayern was already announced) didn't dare go to the fans for fear of being booed as "Judas", so Raúl took him by the hand and went in front of the fans together with him and the DFB-Pokal, and thus no one dared to boo or whistle, but they got celebrated. Grande Raúl

@zizzle wrote:When he was playing in Madrid i really thought he was overrated since he scored a lot of "easy goals" and was "carried by his team". I remember him as a poacher who "somehow stumbled into the ball and scored skill-less goals". Now that i understand football better i can appreciate a him better, but still, he's a tier below the elites of his generation like Henry, Ronaldo, and Eto'o

Eto'o is not in the same breathe with Raul, let alone Ronaldo.

3 times CL winner: CheckBig game player: CheckConsistent top scorer: CheckMakes his team play better: CheckHard worker: CheckNation team achievements: Check

Now i know that Madrid fans hate Eto'o and he gave them a lot of good reasons to, but for the sake of being objective, how is he not on Rauls level to say the least?

Eto'o was a very good player, but not a legend like Ronaldo (original) nor Raul. It seems to me you guys are too young to know of what Raul did. he made it when only 17, scored 500 goals, was by far the best Spanish player for years. He did decline as he aged, but that doesn't deter from his legendary status. And he was and is a class act, something that Nick just doesn't seem to accept.

Raul played with Zidane, Figo, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, and a long list of legendary players for the most part of his career. My memories of Raul (starting in 1999-2000) is being one of the Galacticos, and like i said, at that time i didnt think he was as big of a star as they were.

Guti should never be considered legenary LOL. He was a bench player for the majority of his career and never ever considered to be best on team. Your definition of Eto'o being legendary belittles the title.

And re the likes of Zigo, Zidane, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Van Gol, Raul was there (and best player) for 10 years before they arrived!

its a bit of a stretch to say raul had 14 best years. cos you're probably looking at when he started his real madrid career till when he left madrid. i'd say his top years were the 97 season till the end of the 03 season. prior to 97 he was still looked at as having potential. from 97 onward, we knew what to expect. and after the operation that saw him miss the return leg to utd at old trafford in 03, he was never the same great raul anymore...though he had moments of brilliance at schalke and in 2 of his later years at madrid. i won't call him a genius, but at his peak he was extremely intelligent and a fighter. there where times he outperformed a lot of the galacticos on the teams between 2000-03. and had he played that 2nd leg at old trafford, considering how he ran riot in the first leg, and ronaldo's (el phenomeno) form, it might have been a massacre

He was GOAT. He will be always reminded as The star of a winner Real Madrid, a thing that probably CR won't do although 2'0000 goals scored .. or at least not with same impact.Shame not having won with own national team , he has played with a fraud generation (it's better not remind the long list of fraud signed by Serie A in those years ffs ) and even when he could go on , you had the South Korea to steal you the dream ( one of worst refereeings ever seen ) .

_________________You have to worry about bills, about food, about some football team that never *bleep* wins

Perhaps I generalized but I mean the generation didn't live up to Raul , Hierro or Guardiola...shame he met that generation and not this

lol immediately you talked about the frauds signed by serie a with your earlier post, the first name i though of was mendieta. truth is, even guardiola had passed his peak for spain by the time raul came along. guardiola by the late 90s wasn't far from what he was in 92, 93, 94. even if raul scored that penalty he missed against france in euro 00, with that midfield spain had, prime figo would have destroyed them with one eye closed

@Pip wrote:Samu is easily one of the best forwards of all-time. A legend of his generation? Absolutely.

totally agreed, but I don't get because he is often underrated.he wins everything as difference maker in Barca , but it s because of Dinho . he makes same thing with Inter, but it is because of Milito. So is he just a lucky man ? or simply is he a real factor for the successes ? Always someone to obscure him , although goals, performance , class, titles, leadership... About the comparison with Raul , I believe they are basically same level, same status legend, personally if I must choose between 2 to have in my team , I take Eto'o . but it's debatable. you'will anyone you take

_________________You have to worry about bills, about food, about some football team that never *bleep* wins